Pedal Power with Arun Singh Tomar

As conveyed to- Rijul Nadkarni & S V Shravan Kumar ( RLBU)

Introduction :

Arun Singh Tomar works in the Overhead Electrification Design Department of L&T , Railways SBG . As his association with this organization touches five years, he fondly recollects this period as a development of his cycling skills in addition to his professional career. Having joined as a GET in 2011 in the hot weather of “Namma” Chennai as he calls it , Arun maintains high interest in cycling, Table tennis and photography. But such is his love for cycling that each and every moment spent with his cycle is fresh in his mind .

Cycling as a passion

Cycling is all about being crazy, he says , where you keep challenging yourself and your fitness to better your previous achievements. Arun suffered a horrendous knee injury involving multiple ligament tear and had to undergo surgery which impaired him with a half leg. The Doctor recommended swimming to supplement his physiotherapy sessions for betterment but he opted for cycling and hasn’t looked back ever since. After initially starting off with casual 5 km & 10 km strolls , Arun slowly ventured into the 50km & 70km band . He discovered a true test of his mental strength and stamina on a 135km hot summer ride in Chennai. He loves his current ride , the Rockrider – 5.0 and his relationship as he likes to call it , with his ride kicked off in February 2015.

Routes encompassed on cycle

When he was posted in Chennai , he remembers making those customary rides to some of the better looking beaches of Chennai just in time to watch the sunrise . Sometimes , nature doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves , he says . The roads in Chennai are fun to explore in the late night and he made full use of them . Some of his favourite roads are Outer ring road, Chembarambakkam lake and the splendid East Coast Road.

After being transferred to Delhi , around November 2015 , he has kept up with his passion , often riding from Faridabad to India gate, Rashtrapati bhawan, Gurgaon, Bangla sahib, parts of Old Delhi and Qutub Minar. He also rides almost daily from his residence in Sector 28 , Faridabad to office.

Favourite cycling experience

He considers each of his cycling expedition to be equally intriguing as the other. So there is no clear favourite . But he misses his rides in Chennai . Gone are those days , he says when his cycling group would enjoy a game of Frisbee on the beach. Disc floating mid-air guided by the sea breeze and fellow cyclists running to grab on to it , both terminating their paths into the massive Bay of Bengal , momentarily of course. The mid-way “Flat tyre” experiences and the 11 PM to 4AM rides with the clear highways, silent streets and riders hitting the top gear were moments to cherish

Downsides or unexpected complications faced while cycling if any

Well , every cyclist faces the occasional flat tyre or the rear derailleur failing . Generally they do carry their tools along too . But there may be an instance where one misses a tool or the situation is unrepairable . That’s the reason one must prefer to cycle in bunches , he says , so that each one of them has the other to fall upon in case of emergencies.

Of course , there is the occasional pain in the knees due to the existing “titanium screws” which were fitted in during the knee surgery but he fights it off whenever possible .

Also carrying the bicycle when one moves or changes cities becomes a task with the high levels of dismantling , delicate handling and assembly involved.

One more challenge he says jokingly is the fight he faces against the Faridabad dust and pollution while riding daily to office !

Upcoming adventures

He plans to be on two different trips to Mathura and Chandigarh this winter all through on his bicycle and the groundwork has begun already !

Solo cycling vs Cycling in bunches

After pondering for a bit , he says

“Though Solo cycling has its advantages with the learnings you could attain from the challenges faced , I’d recommend one sticks to cycling in bunches at least until you’re a good 5-7 years into cycling.”

Cycling in groups is comforting . It gives you the psychological relief that you have someone to fall back upon and there’s always an excitement , an adrenaline rush of sorts before you start your adventure. It gives you the advantage to involve in other other group activities so that your mind and body is well rested before the next lap of your journey .

His cycling partners with whom he’s been on the roads the most are Ankit Batra, Rajataditya, Gopi, Navajith, Nishanth and Jinson ( All L&Tites.)

Cycling apart , What else interests Arun Singh Tomar ?

A corporate level table tennis player who maintains interest in photography and playing guitar ( Amateur level only he says while having a laugh about it).

A last message for the readers

“Dig deep , introspect , find the passion inside you, give it a shot and when you look back you will see a different person.”

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This is not an official L&T(Larsen & Toubro Ltd.) publication. The content published herein are views and opinions expressed by individuals in their personal capacity only and does not reflect that of the management of Larsen & Toubro Limited or its subsidiaries. This is solely an initiative of few individuals.